Search - Dale Watson :: Dreamland

Help Save Country Music

Brian Fitzpatrick | Austin, TX | 10/06/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Dreamland is Dale's best album in many years, and my personal favorite since Cheatin' Heart Attack. If you've given up on country music because of the loathsome dreck that's coming out of Nashvegas these days, this album will bring you back into the fold. Dale Watson plays country music the way it should be played--honest, real, and loaded with tradition. This *is* your father's country music, and that's a good thing if you like Merle Haggard, Buck Owens, Webb Pierce, Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, Ernest Tubb, George Jones, and all the other honky-tonk heroes of the early 60s. Dale Watson is one of a handful of artists (Wayne Hancock also comes to mind) who are truly dedicated to preserving the roots of country music.



You should absolutely buy this album and, if at all possible, see Dale Watson play live. But I would also urge you to then take that extra step and convert those around you who have strayed. You know who I'm talking about: your friend who went to see Kenny "no-sleeves" Chesney play at the County Fair, the guy you work with who shelled out $85 to take his girlfriend to see Tim McGraw at the megadome, the lady stopped at the traffic light with Shania Twain cranked up on the radio of her Suburban, the moron who *still* sings several verses of "Friends in Low Places" when he's had a few too many. These people are sick and they need help. This album is the perfect tonic for what ails them."

Watson's strongest LP to date

hyperbolium | Earth, USA | 10/03/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"With Asleep at the Wheel's Ray Benson helping crystallize his honky-tonk roots, Watson's turned out his strongest album to date. There are moments, like the cyclic front-line beat of "Never Ever," that show Benson's swing influence, but mostly the producer just sharpens Watson's twangy guitar and two-steppin' rhythms, and deftly places the singer's baritone amid classic lines of fiddle and steel.



Watson's new songs (he wrote or co-wrote all twelve tracks) take in the shuffles and ballads of Ray Price, south-of-the-border tinged Bakersfield twang, blues and even bluegrass. He no longer bashes Nashville in words, finding more pointed criticism in the traditional country music idiom: lyrics of love lost and taken away and the occasional bar-side celebration, intertwined with the cries of guitar, steel and fiddle.



It's nothing new for Watson, who's long championed these sounds, but the alchemy brought to bear by his producer moves these recordings to the next level. The phased guitars and swelling steel lines of "Dreamland" add a dreamy quality to Watson's nocturnal memory of his late fiancée, and the bluegrass harmonies of "Fox on the Run" and "Pretty Girls" showcase Watson in a new, lighter setting. Together with more traditional honky-tonk tunes, this is sure to greatly please Watson's fans and attract some new converts."

Out Of The Darkness And Into The Light

Jef Fazekas | Newport Beach, California United States | 08/20/2004

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Having just discovered Dale Watson and his unique brand of Texas twang with his last release, 2001's heart-rendering EVERY SONG I WRITE IS FOR YOU, I was anxious to hear what he would do next. Well, DREAMLAND certainly doesn't disappoint! Many of the same elements that made EVERY SONG... so strong can still be found on the new disc - the uncluttered arrangements, the super-studly voice - but the vibe is totally different. This time around, the somber has been exchanged for the swingin'. Opening up the disc is the gently swaying groove of "Honky Tonkers Don't Cry." With equal parts tasty guitar, fiddle and piano, the track puts you in an instant good-time mind set, one that grabs you tightly throughout the rest of the album, refusing to let go! Awesome! Things are kicked up another notch with the swaggering "Ain't A Cow In Texas." Once again, the instrumentation is spot-on perfect, and a couple of Watson's ad-libs ("Yeah...RIGHT!", "Yeah, you KNOW ya love me, darlin'!") make it clear what a good time he's having! Next up is the sweetly romantic "Love At First Sight." Few men could sing such a basic, almost borderline sappy, song, but Watson delivers it in such an honest, unaffected manner that you can't help but love it! "I Wish You'd Come Around" is a tad bit melodramatic, but Watson lays down the track in a genuinely honest manner, resulting in a true classic country cut. Things take a 180 degree turn with the swinging "California Wine." With wailing pedal steel, jaunty fiddle work and tinkling ivorys, the cut just dances out of the speakers. Add a totally authoritative lead vocal and you have one of DREAMLAND's best tracks! Another gem is the high-energy "Never Ever." With an instrumental track that just makes you want to dance and universally relatable lyrics ("We're in this thing together/So together we'll get burned/I guess we'll never ever/Never ever learn"), the song allows the many sides of Dale Watson - tough, tender, forlorn, hopeful - to shine thru and, in so doing, come up with some great music. The disc's title track is a sweeping ballad that features a soaring lead vocal from Watson. As the music lifts you out of your chair, transporting you to a place where dancing among the clouds doesn't seem all that far-fetched, you can't help but be moved when Watson lets us know that "Here in the real world/I do alright/Eventhough you're not around." "Fox On The Run" (no, not the Sweet classic!) is a back porch, toe-tapping rave-up. Watson's strong lead vocal is beautifully augmented by pitch perfect harmony vocals, courtesy of Ricky Davis and Billy Donahue. There's a swagger to "Way Down Texas Way" that some might find over the top, but if you just kick back and really let it's sexy sensuality sink in, you'll realize the song's (to quote the Beach Boys!)"Fun! Fun! Fun!" There's an aching quality to the lovely "She Don't Care" that is simply heart-breaking. One of those songs where everything comes together - a beautiful vocal, great arrangement, smart lyrics ("Well, a phone that doesn't ring/Makes a deafening noise") - "She Don't Care" is, without a doubt, one of DREAMLAND's key tracks. "I Don't Rock No Cradle" has a great country swing vibe going on, while the disc's closer, "Pretty Girls", ends things on an energetic high note. Once again, the track's focal point is Watson's absolutely amazing lead vocal...why someone with such an incredible voice isn't bigger than he is is beyond me! Finally, as per all my 2004 release reviews, I do have to dock the disc half a star for not including the lyrics. But that's a minor point...do yourself a favor and visit DREAMLAND tonight!"